After the Red Wings ruined their Thanksgiving eve Wednesday night with a 6-1 beat down in Detroit the Bruins knew they needed to bounce back strong Friday afternoon when they hosted the New York Rangers in their annual Black Friday matinee.

After practice Thursday morning the Bruins held a closed door meeting as the Black and Gold knew they could be, and have to better than they were Wednesday night. When a team comes out with a performance like that, someone usually steps up big the following game leading his team to victory.

In Friday’s contest, it was the Captain that stepped up, and stepped up in a big way.

Zdeno Chara’s fourth Gordie Howe hat trick of his career helped the Bruins edge the Rangers 3-2 before a sold out TD Garden crowd.

“Yeah, we all felt really bad about that game” said Chara of the loss to Detroit.

“It was just one of those nights where we didn’t execute anything and nothing was really happening for us. Detroit played really well and they deserved to win that game. But those kind of games do happen and it’s just the way you have to bounce back and regroup from nights like that. I thought today, like I said, we did a pretty good job.”

The Bruins got on the board first as Chara found the tape of Brad Marchand who had no issues putting home his fourth goal of the season. Things got a bit intense during the second period as Chara dropped the gloves with Rangers forward Brian Boyle, putting Chara a goal away from the famous Gordie Howe hat trick.

With things tied at two thanks to an early third period goal from Patrice Bergeron, Chara’s shot from the point had eyes, finding the back of the net giving the Bruins the lead for good.

“Yeah, I saw the opening and David [Krejci] recognized the situation, made a good play and I put the puck on net as quick and hard as I could and it went in. So it was a good job out of everybody.”

The Bruins needed someone to put the team on his back and help the club bounce back from their worst loss of the season. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask—who made 17 saves in the win—isn’t surprised to see Chara step up the way he did.

“Yeah for sure. When he’s on top of his game he’s good everywhere on the ice and today was a great example of what he’s capable of doing and then fighting for his teammates when you have to and he—I’m really happy for him for that game of play.”

Not only was it a bounce back game for the Bruins, but Chara was looking to bounce back after a rough night individually for the Bruins Captain. Chara finished the  game Wednesday a minus-2, which at the time dropped Chara to a team worst minus-3.

Much like Rask, Dennis Seidenberg knows how important Chara is to the Bruins’ success.

”He’s out leader like you always say. He’s a guy that brings emotion if it’s lacking into the game” said Seidenberg who psaw 24:43 of ice time in his first game back since his lower-body injury.

“That’s what he did tonight. He had a great pass on the first goal, a great fight and the last goal so he kind of, basically won the game for us. And that’s what you want out of a leader and that’s what he’s been doing for I don’t know how many years.”

Chara now has four points in as many games and will look to keep it going tomorrow night when the Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden.